


Differential Equation

by scy



Category: Star Trek
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-01-01
Updated: 2010-01-01
Packaged: 2017-10-05 14:09:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,488
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/42563
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scy/pseuds/scy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jim has a plan, mostly</p>
            </blockquote>





	Differential Equation

**Author's Note:**

> Sequel to Methodology

If he'd been asked to explain why he was so compelled to seek Spock and Uhura out, Jim could have cited shared experiences, the stress of combat and the fact that out of everyone in Starfleet, they were among the few individuals that Jim would trust at his side in a fight. But there was also the future. For years it hadn't been his way to consider where he might be in ten years, but all of that had changed, and he knew that they were part of something immense, greater than himself, a legend that he would have to struggle to grow into.

Jim had gotten a sense of that when he first sat in the captain's chair on the Enterprise, and looked out over the bridge. Then he'd realized that all of this was supposed to belong to him, and that he had to prove to everyone that he deserved it.

Even though the command crew were all but told that they would be decorated by Starfleet Command, the Admiralty had still insisted that those crew members who'd received field promotions needed to complete their current year of studies by testing out of any remaining coursework. Already Jim was anxious to be off the ground again and at the helm of a ship. He hoped that even if the others were assigned to different vessels, they would be interested in eventually seeking similar assignments.

Predictably there was a shakeup in progress at Starfleet. Entire Starships had been lost along with all or nearly their entire crews, and there was a search on for suitable replacements while ships, including the Enterprise, were in dry dock undergoing extensive repairs. Combined with that was the political upheaval of Vulcan's destruction and a renewed vigilance at Federation borders.

To get away from all of the politics, and the stares of cadets who couldn't seem to reconcile Jim Kirk with what he'd done, Jim found that he liked spending time with Uhura and Spock. They weren't as rowdy as he and Bones, who he knew had a reputation for inciting brawls when they were on leave, but Jim had gotten the impression that the Linguistics Department was much more than the study of languages and thought he might be on his way to being more than an outsider. He stopped by Spock's office several times in the next couple of weeks. Although he didn't always stay and talk, he tried to bring information, that he thought Spock or Uhura might be interested in. He wasn't thrown out, and took that as solid progress that he tried to improve on.

Uhura was usually there with Spock, and whenever Jim poked his head inside the office, she smiled. Even if he was moving slowly to get Spock accustomed to him, Uhura definitely knew that he was scheming, and her smiles were friendly, but she regarded him intensely and Jim guessed that she was working out what his next move might be.

Jim's plans weren't fully realized, but he had been working steadily to outline a long term strategy, and was knew that he was going to have to be very careful to ensure that nothing would go wrong. For one thing, he discovered that on campus at least, Spock and Uhura were very professional and if he hadn't seen them kiss, he would have assumed they were just colleagues. He considered that his presence might have something to do with the way they acted, and asked Uhura, when they were walking to Advanced Xenolinguistics if she minded him being around so much.

"Not when you're behaving yourself."

"Do you think it bothers Spock?"

"Has he told you that it does?" Uhura asked.

"No, but you're around him more than I am," Jim said.

"He didn't say it's a problem," Uhura said.

"Did he say that you two needed to change the way you handle yourselves?"

"What are you asking?"

"I just want to know if he minds me spending time with the two of you." Jim stumbled over his next sentence. "And I don't want to be in the way of you two having a good time."

She was unimpressed with his assumption. "We don't make a habit of unprofessional behavior while we're on duty."

"I've seen you kiss, that doesn't seem very professional."

"I said it's not our custom to do that, not that we never express ourselves openly."

"That's it, you're not keeping it under wraps?"

"I don't need to justify myself to you, James, I know where I stand with Spock and he with me."

"I'm not keeping you from that, am I? I mean, Spock's a Vulcan, and they have all of these taboos about outsiders knowing much of their business."

Uhura turned and glanced at Jim. "You're really worried that Spock might not like you."

Feeling exposed, Jim laughed it off. "Isn't that normal?"

"From the second you two met, you haven't gotten along very well." She was being delicate but couldn't keep a smile from her face.

"We worked together well."

"When you had to," Uhura said, and waited expectantly for Jim to answer. He got the impression that it mattered how he used his words, and he chose them with care.

"I think it's gone beyond being forced to cooperate," Jim said. He didn't have any doubts that Spock had gotten used to Jim finding reasons to see him, and couldn't believe that Spock hadn't figured out how much Jim wanted to get his attention, but he wasn't sure whether Spock had any similar interest.

"Do you know why?"

"He's not entirely unfriendly." As Uhura knew well, but she didn't say as much.

"That's all it is? You've been chasing after Spock for the last month because he hasn't told you to go away? Now you're trying without much luck, to find out whether he prefers your company, as though you couldn't ask him yourself. James, I am not your Liaison Officer."

It sounded, as Spock would say, very illogical, and Jim smiled weakly at Uhura. "It could be."

Uhura gave Jim another glance, but didn't share any further, and Jim thought a change of subject might be in order.

"Have you gotten word about your next posting? I can't imagine Starfleet is going to miss a chance to put its best linguist in the field as soon as they can."

"Whenever you compliment me, I'm concerned," Uhura said.

"Now that isn't what a man wants to hear from a beautiful woman."

"The truth can be difficult to handle."

"You didn't tell me what you've heard," Jim said.

"We haven't received official orders yet."

"Spock is probably impatient to get off Earth, or whatever the Vulcan version of being eager to leave what he considers a backward planet is."

"In the opinion of Vulcans, Humans have made impressive advances in the last century," Uhura said.

"They still don't completely trust us."

"It's not that."

"They're just so sure that their logic is the answer to everything." Jim clenched his teeth on the annoyance he still felt when he was dealing with Spock's inscrutability.

"James," Uhura rubbed her forehead in frustration. "You enjoy confrontation a little too much, it's like a game for you."

"I think vigorous discussion is good for many reasons," Jim said.

"It can't be counted on to make you friends."

"I'm really very likable."

Uhura snorted. "James, within minutes of appearing aboard the Enterprise without explanation, you were insubordinate, insulting, and dared him to attack you."

"I know that you think I was just being a jerk. You think I deserved what I got?"

Uhura nodded without hesitating.. She had spoken to Jim right after Spock removed himself from duty, and when she had used his rank, Jim heard her calling him a bastard instead and thought that she had an incredible grasp of inflectional grammar, not that she would have welcomed the observation. "I understand why you did it, that doesn't mean it wasn't in poor taste."

"I did what I had to," Jim said, remembering what the elder Spock had told him, the things he had seen in the Vulcan's mind and how ill prepared he had still been for what actually happened when he provoked an emotional reaction from Spock. "I didn't think he would respond like that, I thought he would give me a warning or maybe yell."

"From a Vulcan, sharp words are the only warning you will get," Uhura said. "Then they act."

"That's definitely true." He smiled. "You almost sound like you've studied Spock."

"It's just that I've worked with him for longer and learned how to interact with him. Nobody can say that they understand Vulcans, you can only keep on trying to reach out and find a middle ground. It can be," Uhura savored the words, "delightful." She rubbed her arms like she'd felt a chill. "But there won't be as much of a chance to learn about Vulcans now, their policy is isolationism when they're threatened, and the loss of Vulcan was unimaginable."

Jim appreciated her honesty, and said so. "I know, and I can't really believe that there are only ten thousand Vulcans left, it's crazy." The man responsible for all of those deaths wasn't alive, but Jim wouldn't forget his face, nor what he'd done to any of them, so much pain could be traced back to Nero that they were all still healing and would be for some time to come. It was hard to put it aside, but Jim was trying not to hold on too tightly when it might keep him from continuing with what he was meant to do. "That's your advice to me, then? Do what I've been doing until I get results?"

With a grin, Uhura touched Jim's arm. "I'm sure that something will happen."

"Will I like it?"

"Persistence has its rewards," Uhura said

"With you too?"

"As I remember, you don't have any difficulty finding women who actually respond to you. I'm sure I'll see you later, James." Uhura turned and headed into the Performing Arts building, waving at him before she stepped inside.

Jim stared after Uhura and wondered again what would have happened between them if he had searched her out when he got to the Academy and hadn't gone after other women, Gaila included. It wasn't going to be enough to prove to Spock that he wanted more from him, he had to assure Uhura that his intentions were sincere.

He started to do things he hadn't tried to since he realized that girls appreciated more than a sideways look and a smile. One of them was offering to help Uhura carry her materials to her classes. He couldn't do it all the time, but being late once or twice was worth it to see her shake her head and smile when he insisted that he only wanted to help. When he went with her to her apartment and waited while she searched for an article she thought would be helpful for a lecture, a piece of art stood out.

Jim stared at the painting and picked symbols out of the elegant lines. "Is that Vulcan script?"

"Yes, an ancient variation."

"I've seen holo-projections of a couple, and I didn't think anyone still knew the style."

"It's been passed down through the generations," Uhura said.

"But just to Vulcans."

"Yes, off worlders are not readily given such knowledge."

Whatever Vulcans thought of other species, the painting was on Uhura's wall, and she gave it a glance that made Jim wonder if it was just a piece of art of if it meant more to her.

"Can you read it?"

"Yes."

"I've heard that the Vulcans don't ever-" Jim winced and corrected himself. "Never let artifacts be taken off Vulcan without good reason, how did you get one of them to part with this one?" Especially when there was very little left of Vulcan or its people.

Uhura picked up a PADD, frowned at its screen and laid it back on her desk. "It was made for me."

Jim stared at the swirls and curves of writing and thought that he recognized enough to translate a couple lines. "Now, I'm not saying I'm an expert the way you are, but I think I've got some of this figured out."

"Oh?" Uhura regarded him with amusement. "Go on."

"Your name is heavy like rain." Jim examined the rest of the text and couldn't understand more than another word or two.

"It's from a rather famous body of work." Uhura selected another PADD and tapped in several keys. "Here, that's a more accurate translation of the text."

Jim thought that Uhura looked a little flushed as he took the PADD and skimmed the biography of the author then scrolled down to the poem itself. As he read, he stared in shock. "Your name rests on my lips, heavy as a raindrop. When I speak it, the sound is like a burst of sweetness in my mouth." He looked up, and Uhura was busying herself with finding the texts she needed. "This is poetry."

"Yes."

Still regarding the poem, Jim had trouble taking in the facts. "Erotic poetry."

"It could be."

"Someone gave you erotic Vulcan poetry to hang on your walls. Did they know what they were doing?"

"I'm sure he did," Uhura said, and smiled to herself.

"I didn't know that Spock even liked poetry," Jim said, and readjusted a number of facts and assumptions. The glimpses of that other Spock's life had been overwhelming, and he was still absorbing them.

"Why would you?"

"Uhura, I only meant that he doesn't seem to express himself romantically very often." Jim returned the padd to Uhura's desk. "So, he's courting you?"

"Does it seem that way to you?"

"I can see why the two of you work so well together, you're both hard to read."

"I appreciate the comparison," Uhura said and tucked the PADD under her arm. "Now I've got what I need, let's get going otherwise we're going to be late."

"Yeah, I don't think that Spock would appreciate being left waiting."

"He does find it tiresome," Uhura said and they hurried out.

Spock didn't show any signs of impatience, but his blank expression tightened slightly when Jim and Uhura came up to him where he was waiting inside the bar.

"Don't give me that," Jim said. "It was my turn to pick, and I remember how much Uhura liked the Cardassian Sunrises here."

"I made no objection," Spock said. He gave Uhura a slight bow then pulled out her chair and took a seat.

They weren't the only members of Starfleet in the bar, but Spock and Uhura stood out to Jim, because they were stunning, in their own ways and they held themselves with dignity, even though Uhura relaxed as she reviewed the menu.

"A curious choice," Spock said, and Jim grinned.,

"I know, it's not a place you would go on your own."

"The ambiance is certainly lively," Spock said, and Jim had to strain to hear him over men calling to each other across the room.

"You have been to a bar, right?" Jim hoped he wasn't going to introduce the Vulcan to anything he would consider shocking Human behavior and make him even more uptight.

"I've taken him to a couple," Uhura said and handed Spock the PADD, which he accepted silently and began reading.

"How did you convince him to come along?" Jim asked. The Starfleet Academy Choir was infamous for having a good time after a concert, and the faculty would have to know of their reputation.

"I'm extremely persuasive."

"I've seen as much." He turned to Spock. "Do you drink?"

"A more precise question would be do I consume alcohol," Spock said. "No, Vulcans prefer not to."

"Not ever?"

"Rarely."

"Is synthehol all right? I don't think they have tea here."

"I doubt tea is listed, but synthehol will be acceptable."

Jim signaled to the waiter and placed their order.

When their drinks arrived, Uhura took a single sip and nodded in pleasure. "Very good."

Jim shrugged. "I remembered you liked Sunrises."

"Most restaurants mix them too sweet, but this one is just right."

Spock cupped his hands around his glass and regarded the other patrons silently. He drank sparingly, and didn't make any comments about the quality of the synthehol, which Jim thought tasted the same everywhere.

Some of the other people in the restaurant had noticed them, and pointed out their presence in whispers that were increasingly difficult to ignore.

"You'd think they would be used to seeing members of Starfleet here," Jim said.

"It's possible they don't remember you because you're not getting into trouble," Uhura said.

"Maybe I should start some, that would be as good as an introduction."

"I doubt that would make you any lasting alliances," Spock said.

"You don't think so? It's how I met Captain Pike."

"An unusual recruitment tactic."

"I thought so, but he knew my father and that got my attention."

"Your father was aboard the U.S.S. Kelvin?" Uhura asked.

"He was in command, just before it was destroyed," Jim said.

"His actions were commendable and it is to his credit that more people did not perish in that incident," Spock said.

"Thank you for that."

"I am not stating anything that is not common knowledge."

"Still, I appreciate your good opinion of my father." Jim had little idea of how Vulcans grieved, and following the outburst that he'd provoked, there had been no obvious change in Spock's behavior since he'd gotten the news about his mother's death, but Jim wanted to give Spock the same courtesy. "I am sorry about your mother."

"I understand that your sentiment is well meant, but it is not appropriate for this setting," Spock said, and Uhura rested a hand beside Spock's and regarded him with concern.

"I didn't mean to offend you."

"Offense is an emotion, and therefore irrelevant." Spock raised an eyebrow, prompting Jim to reply, and he felt it was a good opportunity to reveal his motives for bringing them here.

"I wanted to talk to you two about something."

"Yes?"

"I-"

"Hey, Morrissey, you don't see this every day," someone said from behind Jim.

"Yeah, Clausen, what's that?" another voice asked.

"Humans about to make first contact with a Vulcan," Morrissey said.

"I can't believe there are still any of them around."

"Yeah, I thought all of them died when their planet got blown up."

Jim's fists clenched as he turned around, smiling and showed his teeth. "Well, apparently not all of them did."

The two townies lifted their chins and stared back at Jim unflinchingly. "Won't be long though, you freaks can't make more of you fast enough."

Still trying to stay calm, because he knew more than his pride counted, Jim spoke over the men's voices. "When there's a crisis, people will surprise you."

"Maybe, but he's not a person," Clausen said.

Jim glanced at Spock and felt the tension at the table double. For his purposes, a reaction wasn't bad, but he admitted to himself that he would rather he was the one to step in first so the Vulcan didn't resent being pushed to that point by yet another insensitive human. Besides, annoying Spock was beginning to be Jim's territory, and if Spock was going to be driven to live in a monastery only to find some solitude, Jim would take the credit and then find a way to haul him back to Starfleet.

Clausen sneered. "I think they just got what was coming to them."

Spock's fingers flexed minutely around his glass and Jim shook his head. He had come across bigotry plenty of times, and reminded himself that he knew how to tolerate it. "That's enough, you need to stop off before you find trouble."

"From you three?" They laughed and continued to aim insults in their direction, and Jim conceded that his temper sometimes got the best of him as he stood up.

Up until then, Uhura hadn't said a word, but as she tapped a finger against her glass and her eyes narrowed. For her too, that last remark seemed to have been her limit. "James, ignore them."

"I don't let anyone to talk to my crew that way."

Spock blinked at Jim, and he nodded back.

"If you break any more tables in here, they won't let you come back." Uhura said.

"Are you afraid of dealing with a couple of real men?" one of the hecklers said, and Uhura set her glass down hard.

"I suppose I'll just have to find another decent bar."

"I'm sure there's another in San Francisco," Jim said.

"Make it up to me and find it," Uhura said and stepped back from the table. "Spock?"

"I am not finished with this article."

"Could you read it another time?" Jim asked.

"It will only take another moment."

"Think you're too good to talk to us?" said Morrissey, and Spock flicked the PADD's power off.

"In this instance, superiority is easily discerned."

"You pointy eared bastard," Clausen said.

Jim blocked the man's lunge and shoved him back. "Back off."

"Why, who are you?"

"Captain James T. Kirk."

"Never heard of you," Morrissey said.

"You're going to wish you had," Jim said and dodged the man's fists. Around them, people jumped out of their seats and took cover, but when one of the men who'd been harassing them stumbled into a table, he brought more people into the fight when he was back on his feet.

"Can you go anywhere without somebody?" Uhura asked, and stomped on the foot of a man who tried to grab her from behind. Without hesitation, she turned and struck him quickly, dropping him to the ground and stepped around him.

"It wasn't me," Jim said, sparing a second to be impressed at her easy handling of the situation.

"We could have simple exited the establishment," Spock said, rising out of his chair to avoid a glass hurled in his direction, and in spite of the chaos around him he seemed unmoved.

"No need to, we weren't the problem," Jim said.

A chair impacted with the wall and broke. Around them, other property damage was occurring, and Jim shrugged. "Things change." He caught a blow on the jaw and staggered, then straightened with a grin. "That's more like it. Spock, you're not going to join in?"

"I see no reason for needless violence."

"Sometimes violence begets violence," Jim said.

"That is not a surprising sentiment, coming from you."

"If you gentlemen don't mind, let's argue about this somewhere quieter," Uhura said.

"Certainly," Spock said, and Jim would have agreed, but just then he was struck in the stomach and thrown to the floor. The man who'd grabbed him began kicking him, keeping him down, and Jim swore, rolling away from the worst of it. Twisting around, he pulled Morrissey's feet out from under him and pinned the man. As he was gaining the upper hand, Clausen grabbed Jim around the throat and began choking him.

"Let him go," Uhura said, and ducked in to pull Jim out of the way. She was hit on the shoulder, and spun away, then came at the man and laid him out flat with a series of quick blows. "Spock, would you mind retrieving James?"

"Not at all, Nyota," Spock said and waded into the melee. He disabled the man attacking Jim with the use of a nerve pinch, and then simply lifted Jim free.

"Thanks," Jim said, wiping blood off his face, and they headed toward the exit. When they were outside, Spock let go of Jim's arm and set him loose. "What was the point of that encounter?"

"I was just showing them that they can't say that kind of thing around here," Jim said.

"It appears that you unable to venture into public without getting into an altercation that could have been avoided with reasonable precaution."

"People like that don't let things go without getting a couple of punches in. If they can't do it now, they would try something where there aren't any witnesses, and I was just saving them the trouble."

"Then this was ultimately a considerate act."

"Yes."

"How selfless of you," Uhura said from Jim's other side and he nodded.

"Wasn't it?"

"You're hoping that we're going clean you up again."

"Well, I can't go to class tomorrow looking like this. At least one of you might take pity on me. And since you're the only one who shows actual emotion, Uhura, I'm hoping it's going to be you."

"I think that you really should learn how to control yourself," Uhura said, and nudged Jim closer to Spock.

"Oh, you wouldn't."

"I definitely would."

"I was only defending your honor," Jim said.

"I can do that myself."

"And yours too," Jim said to Spock,

"I fail to see how that benefited anyone."

"My methods work."

"Based on your behavior, it would appear that your solutions commonly involve dramatic displays."

"What are you saying?"

"If you truly desire to succeed, it would be prudent to cultivate alternate strategies."

"I've realized that," Jim said. "It's just not easy to change all at once. That doesn't mean I won't eventually."

Spock said something in Vulcan.

"What was that?" Jim asked.

Uhura smiled. "He said that you are very human."

"I've been this way my whole life," Jim said and grinned.

"Fascinating," Spock said and regarded Jim as though he had just done something unanticipated and the Vulcan was considering the merits of waiting to see if Jim would do it again.

Uhura laughed and slid an arm around Spock's waist. "Shall we give him a chance?"

"Further observation could yield interesting results," Spock said.

Jim look from one to the other. "What?"

"You wanted to know if we were going to take you with us."

"I did, but it almost sounds like you've talked it over. Like you knew this would happen."

"James, you took us to a bar. You have a temper and a history in bars, it wasn't hard to predict the outcome," Uhura said, and Jim was nonplussed.

"In addition, given your propensity for refusing to yield even when the odds are not in your favor, the ramifications of your continued presence have been discussed," Spock said.

Feeling a bit like he had been knocked over the head and hadn't seen what hit him, Jim crossed his arms. "Have you both reached a conclusion?"

"I say we keep him around and see what happens," Uhura said, and Spock dipped his head slightly, agreeing with her.

As they walked toward campus, Uhura leaned into Spock briefly. It seemed natural for Jim to walk in stride with them, and he found he had to hurry to keep up, and did so with renewed determination.


End file.
